Though the TCG sector saw an absolute explosion of different titles in the wake of Magic: The Gathering’s successful launch, it was far more difficult for games to find an audience, or for players to find consistent support or events for any game that they were interested in. Consequently, of the dozens of games which launched in the 90s, very few made were sustainable for very long.
Yet due to several factors, we’ve seen a real renaissance in trading card games over the last five years or so. The TCG sector seems healthier, and more diverse, than ever before. Games such as Star Wars Unlimited, Disney Lorcana, Riftbound and One Piece have carved out their own significant chunks of the mainstream market, and there are numerous titles with original IPs who’ve also been successfully thriving as alternatives to the “big three” of Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!.
Another new TCG to add to the ever growing list is Azuki, with Gates Awakened, its first set, launching in the US on the 26th of June. The team behind Azuki feature experienced, industry veterans from Pokémon, Riot and Blizzard, to name just three. With over a $1m in revenue generated from the pre-sale, and 800k packs being shipped to retail for launch, Azuki is poised to make its mark in the TCG realm.
Azuki’s cards feature a very anime-style aesthetic, and its visual design, as well as gameplay elements, will feel immediately familiar for TCG fans, which definitely assists in learning the game. The area-based combat and moving of “entities” between rows in your play area gives the game a unique feel, however, despite the familiar visual elements and game mechanics. To win a game of Azuki, you must reduce the health of your opponent’s leader card to 0.
It’s a fast paced, tactical game which looks very exciting to play, with a resource card system (IKZ, shown above) that takes cues from games such as One Piece and Riftbound, with its own twists, to ensure that power scales steadily, and as equally as possible between participants.
With weekly local tournaments, a regional tournament in the works, along with substantial support for retail and prizing, it looks like Azuki, despite (perhaps even because) it lacking an established IP, it could prove to build a significant audience looking for something different to the usual fare. It certainly has its own idenity, and impressive production values too; its human-created art (isn’t it sad that we have to clarify this, nowadays?) and animated promotional materials already demonstrate this impressively.
Four different starter decks will be available for Gates Awakened, as you can see above. We’ll be here with more details on Azuki, post-launch, and we look forward to seeing the game grow and build an audience over the coming months.
Want to know more? You can learn how to play the Azuki TCG below:
